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BOSTON – Adley Rutschman was scratched from tonight’s Orioles lineup with right abdominal discomfort.
Rutschman didn’t play last night, with Samuel Basallo making his first start behind the plate. Alex Jackson is catching tonight.
The lineup shuffling has Jackson batting ninth and third baseman Luis Vázquez moving up from eighth to second.
Jordan Westburg was limping in the clubhouse earlier today and had a walking boot at his locker. He exited last night’s game in the first inning after twisting his right ankle.
So far, he's avoided the injured list. Interim manager Tony Mansolino will provide an update later.
The Orioles have made the following roster move:
- OF Jordyn Adams has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.
The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players.
BOSTON – Jordan Westburg is out of tonight’s Orioles lineup after injuring his right ankle last night in the first inning.
An update is coming later.
Samuel Basallo also is on the bench. Luis Vázquez is starting at third base. Dylan Beavers is in right field. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter.
Coby Mayo is playing first base.
Tonight marks Tomoyuki Sugano’s 24th major league start. He’s posted a 4.13 ERA in 126 1/3 innings, and he’s only the 10th Japanese-born pitcher to win 10 games as a rookie.
The Nationals survived the first of four consecutive series against playoff contenders from Philadelphia and New York, splitting their four-game series with the Phillies. Next up, it’s the Mets, who come to town in a bit of a tailspin, having lost 14 of their last 17 while dealing with all kinds of injuries. They did manage to win two in a row over the weekend against the Mariners, including Sunday night’s Little League Classic in Williamsport. So perhaps they’re on the mend. Either way, they can’t afford to lose this series to the Nats.
One of the surprising stalwarts of the New York rotation has been David Peterson, the veteran left-hander who has always resided at the back of the rotation but has ascended into a top starter this year, earning his first career All-Star selection. Peterson has been outstanding against the Nationals throughout his career, going 6-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 13 games (10 starts). That includes a six-hit, zero-walk shutout earlier this season at Citi Field.
Peterson’s opponent for that June 11 was Jake Irvin, who gave up four runs over five innings to take the loss. That was in stark contrast to Irvin’s April 25 start against the Mets, when he went 7 1/3 innings giving up only one run. He also dominated this lineup twice last season, memorably tossing eight innings of one-hit ball last July 4 and then also going 7 1/3 allowing only one run last September in Flushing.
Which version of Irvin shows up tonight? The Nationals would love for him to get back on track against an opponent he’s enjoyed success against more than once before.
NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 71 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field
The Washington Nationals recalled first baseman Andrés Chaparro from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday and optioned infielder José Tena to Triple-A Rochester following the game on Sunday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.
Chaparro, 26, hit .274 with 14 doubles, 15 home runs, 48 RBI, 34 walks, one stolen base and 32 runs scored in 53 games between Triple-A Rochester and the FCL Nationals in 2025. He led qualified Nationals farmhands with a .574 slugging percentage and a .956 OPS from May 14 through Aug. 17. Despite playing in just 53 games, he ranks among Nationals Minor Leaguers in home runs (3rd), extra-base hits (T6th) and RBI (7th) this season.
Chaparro joins the Nationals after reaching safely in 21 of his last 22 games and hitting safely in 19 of the 22. He hit .329 (28-for-85) with seven doubles, eight home runs, 22 RBI, 17 walks, one stolen base and 18 runs scored during this stretch that included a 20-game on-base streak and an 11-game hitting streak.
Acquired at the 2024 Trade Deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks, this marks Chaparro’s second Major League stint of the season. He appeared in four games for Washington from June 10-20, going 1-for-11 (.091) with a double and walk. In 2024, Chaparro hit .215 with 12 doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI, seven walks, one stolen base and 12 runs scored in 33 games during his first Major League season.
The Orioles have made the following roster move:
- OF Greg Allen elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.
The Nationals were down 6-0 in the top of the third Sunday afternoon. It was hot. It was muggy. They’d already clinched at least a four-game weekend split with the Phillies. And it would’ve been easy at that moment to be content with that.
But when Trea Turner lined a two-out single to right field, Dylan Crews charged the ball and did what his baseball instincts told him to do, no matter the score. He fired the ball toward the plate, hoping to get it there in time to nab Harrison Bader, who was trying to score from second.
The throw was on time. It was on target. And it one-hopped perfectly into the mitt of Drew Millas, who applied a swipe tag just as Bader was trying to slide into the plate. Umpire Jacob Metz ruled him out, and the Nats ran off the field with a much-needed emotional boost.
“I think any moment, you’re just trying to find a spark to get everybody going,” Crews said. “Luckily, I was in a position to get a spark going and was able to get the guy out at home to flip over the inning. It could be anybody that could be that spark, and luckily I was there to help us with the momentum.”
The throw, clocked at 95.4 mph, was impossible to ignore.
BOSTON – Those moments during the season when it felt like the Orioles were scrambling to fill out their roster have disappeared like one of Samuel Basallo’s home run balls in the minors.
The crab cake analogy fits again – less filler makes for a better product.
Manager Tony Mansolino has a plan, devised by the group, and it’s going to get Basallo, Dylan Beavers and Coby Mayo in the lineup on most nights. Mayo and Adley Rutschman sat last night because Basallo needed to catch and Ryan Mountcastle needed to get some reps at first base. Players can rotate into the designated hitter role, with Jeremiah Jackson taking his turn against the Red Sox.
“It’s exciting,” Mansolino said. “It’s a good problem to have.”
Much better than those constant headaches.
BOSTON – One day after the Orioles scored a dozen runs in a shutout in Houston and celebrated the infusion of young prospect talent and energy on the roster, Jordan Westburg limped off the field and reminded everyone that the 2025 season is a cruel mistress.
Take the good, and there’s much more of it lately, but prepare to get hurt again. It’s a package deal.
Westburg came out of the game with right ankle discomfort, but the Orioles didn’t let it spoil their evening. Trevor Rogers produced another gem with one run in seven innings and the Orioles prevailed 6-3 over the Red Sox at Fenway Park for their fifth win in six games.
Rogers lowered his ERA to 1.41 and WHIP to 0.80 with his 10th quality start in 12 appearances. Gunnar Henderson hit his 15th home run in the third inning to create a three-way tie with Westburg and Jackson Holliday for the team lead, and he added a run-scoring triple in the seventh. Samuel Basallo collected his first major league extra-base hit and added a two-run single in the ninth. Dylan Beavers had his first RBI and reached base four times.
Ryan Mountcastle returned to first base, singled three times and flied to the center field wall at 404 feet and 107.2 mph.
BOSTON – Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill started baseball activities today at Fenway Park as he works toward a return from a right wrist injury.
O’Neill went on the injured list retroactive to Aug. 6 due to the inflammation.
“Threw the baseball for the first time today,” he said while standing at his locker in the visiting clubhouse. “So now it’s buildup and baseball progression, and hopefully it goes quick.”
Rosters expand on Sept. 1, but O’Neill might be able to return later this month.
“I haven’t had a specific date set in mind,” he said. “I could see that being reasonable. Hopefully, things progress quickly and I’m back before that, but you never know during the buildup. It might be a little longer. But what I know right now is I’m feeling good, I’m pretty much pain-free. It’s just getting back to baseball shape now.”
BOSTON – The Orioles have won four of their last five games and are sending out another lineup tonight ripe with top prospects.
Samuel Basallo is catching his first major league game, with Adley Rutschman on the bench. Dylan Beavers is in right field.
Coby Mayo also is on the bench. Ryan Mountcastle gets the start at first base. Jeremiah Jackson is the designated hitter.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers has a 1.43 ERA and 0.808 WHIP in 11 starts. And it all began with his start at Fenway Park in Game 2 of a May 24 doubleheader, when he allowed two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Hoyt Wilhelm (1.25 in 1959) is the only Orioles pitcher with a lower ERA in the first 11 starts in a season. Jim Palmer is third at 1.68 in 1975.
Anyone else want to play the outfield?
The Orioles aren’t holding tryouts but there’s a little experimenting with Jeremiah Jackson, who started in right again yesterday. Dylan Beavers will get plenty of starts in the corners – right Saturday and left yesterday. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said the organization’s No. 3 prospect isn’t here to sit.
Colton Cowser moves back to center field after being planted in left prior to his concussion. Greg Allen, Jordyn Adams, Daniel Johnson and Ryan Noda are gone. Tyler O’Neill is coming back, perhaps in early September.
(Adams had a triple and home run Friday night with Triple-A Norfolk and was ejected by the plate umpire after striking out. But we digress …)
Noda was listed as an infielder on the active roster, but he made three of his five career starts in right field with the Orioles.
When the Nationals needed to clear a roster for Dylan Crews’ return from the 60-day injured list last week, they chose to designate starting first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for assignment and keep seldom-used infielder Jose Tena.
Now, after a four-game split with the Phillies, the Nats have sent Tena down in favor of another first baseman.
The club announced following Sunday’s wild 11-9 loss it had optioned Tena to Triple-A Rochester. No corresponding move was announced, but a source familiar with the decision confirmed the plan to promote Andres Chaparro, which was first reported by Rochester journalist Dan Glickman.
This set of transactions underscores several points: 1) Tena really wasn’t likely to get much playing time, even though he did start a couple of games over the weekend, 2) Chaparro provides a needed right-handed bat to a lineup that has been too lefty-heavy and 3) The Nationals dropped Lowe not because they needed to, but because they wanted to.
Regarding that final point, the decision to designate Lowe caught many by surprise, given his status as one of the team’s only experienced position players and the fact his $10.3 million salary was tops on the roster this year. But it had become clear over the last month-plus that Lowe simply wasn’t producing enough, and that his continued presence didn’t match up with the organization’s intended plan in both the short- and long-term.
HOUSTON – “For a lot of the year, for the first month and a half, there were a lot of nights when we probably looked like the worst team in major league baseball,” Tony Mansolino said after Friday night’s dominant win over the Astros.
“We were probably 30th of 30 how we played the first month and a half. Tonight, for nine innings, we looked like the best team in baseball in all facets of the game. On the mound, defensively, and then also at the plate.”
Today, the Orioles excelled in all facets once again in a dominant 12-0 victory.
"The Friday night game, the game today, we’ve played really well, and we’ve played well for a while now," the interim skipper said today.
After taking two of three against a playoff-caliber Mariners team, they took two of three against a playoff-caliber Astros team. Baltimore didn’t play favorites with who they want to win the American League West.
Consider this morning’s series finale on South Capitol Street a play in four acts, the second portion a hope-filled drama, the opening and third ones a full-blown Shakespearean tragedy before the final one left the crowd yearning for more but ultimately unsatisfied.
The encouraging portions came entirely during the third and ninth innings, when the Nationals erased a sizeable deficit and turned what looked like it would be another unsightly blowout in a day game into a suddenly competitive affair.
Alas, that alone wasn’t going to be enough to top the Phillies. An ugly opening to this 11:35 a.m. matinee from Mitchell Parker and the Nats defense, then a slog of a final six innings by the bullpen ultimately equaled an 11-9 loss to the Phillies.
Despite a spirited rally from down 6-0 to tied 6-6 in the third, then Paul DeJong's three-run homer in the ninth to turn 11-6 into 11-9, the Nationals couldn't finish the job. Daylen Lile doubled to bring the tying run to the plate and force Philadelphia closer Jhoan Duran into the game. But Duran won an eight-pitch battle with Dylan Crews, then struck out pinch-hitter James Wood on three pitches to end the game.
"I think it just shows the heart we've got," Crews said. "It takes a lot to come out here and play a really good team like that. We do an excellent job of not giving up, especially in the late innings."
HOUSTON – All eyes are on the future of the Orioles. Calling up one of the best prospects in baseball only fuels that fire.
On Friday, Brandon Young came within four outs of a perfect game. Yesterday, Dylan Beavers made his long-anticipated debut.
And today, for the grand finale, Samuel Basallo, the No. 8 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, puts on an Orioles jersey for the very first time in the big leagues.
His dad was the one to call and tell him that he had made the Show.
“There’s no better feeling than getting that phone call from your family,” Basallo said this morning, via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “My dad is very special to me, he means a lot to me. To get that phone call from him and from my family, it means everything.”
The infusion of top prospects in the Orioles’ roster is reflected in today’s lineup for the series finale in Houston.
Samuel Basallo is making his debut at designated hitter. He’s batting sixth.
Basallo is the 62nd player to appear in a game, tying the franchise record set in 2021.
Dylan Beavers is in left field after collecting his first major league hit last night.
Colton Cowser returned from the concussion injured list this morning and he’s in center field, one spot ahead of Basallo.
One day after the Orioles selected outfielder Dylan Beavers’ contract from Triple-A Norfolk, introducing one of the organization’s top prospects to the majors, they did the same with catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo.
The top guy is here.
Basallo wasn’t in Norfolk’s lineup last night and he joined the team in Houston for this afternoon’s series finale. MLB Pipeline ranked Basallo eighth in its Top 100 and Baseball America has him seventh.
Basallo, who just turned 21, is batting .270/.377/.589 with 17 doubles, 23 home runs and 67 RBIs in 76 games. The contact is loud and violent. He sends baseballs sailing over scoreboards and stands.
“He’s grown a lot this year,” Norfolk manager Tim Federowicz said yesterday. “Obviously, he has a ton of power. He’s hitting the ball hard. Not sure on the timetable on that (promotion), but I’m sure it’s gonna happen at some point.”
What an unexpected weekend this has become. The Nationals have strung together three consecutive quality starts. And the bullpen, in spite of an ugly top of the seventh Friday night, has only been scored upon in one of eight innings so far in this series against the Phillies, leading to two wins and one other highly competitive game. And now we come to the finale, with an unlikely opportunity to win three of four from the division leaders.
That, of course, is easier said than done, for several reasons. It begins with Mitchell Parker, who takes the mound today on the heels of three straight subpar starts in which he’s allowed a total of 17 runs in only 14 1/3 innings. That stretch has raised his ERA to an unsightly 5.55. The lefty is going to have to be significantly better today against the Philly lineup, especially out of the chute in the top of the first. And even if he does his job, the Nats bullpen is going to be without closer Jose A. Ferrer, who recorded six outs Saturday and has recorded at least four outs three times in his last four appearances.
At the plate, the Nationals actually haven’t done that much this weekend, totaling seven runs in three games. Given their own pitching concerns, they probably need a big day at the plate against Aaron Nola (making his return from the injured list) to give themselves their best shot at a win.
A friendly reminder: Today’s game has an extra-early 11:35 a.m. first pitch, and it’s being televised exclusively on the Roku streaming service. It’s a joint booth calling the game, pairing up Phillies play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy with Nats analyst Kevin Frandsen, plus the one and only Dan Kolko serving as sideline reporter.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 11:35 a.m. EDT
TV: Roku
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 93 degrees, wind 6 mph out to center field
The Orioles have made the following roster moves:
- Selected the contract of C/1B Samuel Basallo from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 29 and his first appearance will be his MLB debut.
- Reinstated OF Colton Cowser from the 7-day concussion Injured List.
- Optioned OF Daniel Johnson and 1B/OF Ryan Noda to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
- Transferred RHP Zach Eflin (low back discomfort) to the 60-day Injured List.
The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.
